Ultimate Christmas Collection

Editors’ Notes If you couldn’t get enough of The Jackson 5 Christmas Album, here's a reissue of the 1970 Motown classic containing well-known holiday favorites and non-traditional carols, as well as ten bonus tracks. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” opens sounding more 5th Dimension than Jackson 5 with its soft-rock trappings, but as soon as the upbeat coda kicks in, there’s no mistaking that Christmas can be as funky as you want it to be — especially on that hip-shaking remake of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” where a young Michael sings with the enthralled excitement of a kid young enough to believe in old St. Nick. After the endearing version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” ends, more magic begins with a spoken seasons greeting from a pre-teen Michael before the romantic “Little Christmas Tree” (a song pulled from the 1973 compilation A Motown Christmas) plays with Michael’s voice up front again. “Up On The House Top” gets tastefully remixed — or rather, re-edited — by DJ Spinna to include a funkier breakdown. “Give Love On Christmas Day” is the proverbial star on the tree.